1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus, system, and method for securing clamps around hoses, bundled wiring, fuel lines, and the like, and particularly to such systems that comprise a pliers-like tool.
2. Relevant Art
Clamps are known that are used for securing hoses, bundled wiring, fuel lines, and the like and that are formed of a band of material shaped into a loop. Each end of the loop terminates in an ear having a centrally-located hole through which a fastener is passed to secure the clamp in place. An installer spreads the clamp far enough apart to position the looped portion of the clamp around a member, such as a hose. After placement, the ears of the clamp reside on a same side of the hose and are roughly aligned. A fastener, such as a bolt, is then passed through the holes in the ears and fastened to hold the clamp in place. The bolt can then be fastened by threading a nut onto a shaft of the bolt, by threading the bolt into a nearby threaded opening, or by some other similarly known method.
One such clamp is an Adel cushioned clamp. The looped portion of the Adel clamp is equipped with padding that rests adjacent the hose, or other member, around which the Adel clamp is placed. Adel clamps are generally manufactured with their ears sprung widely apart. The Adel cushioned clamp can be found described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,215,283.
When installing clamps, like Adel cushioned clamps, it can be difficult to draw the ears of the Adel clamp near enough together to align the holes in the ears so as to easily receive a fastener, such as a bolt. This difficulty can add time to installation projects. It can also prompt some installers to use other devices, such as tie wraps, in place of Adel clamps. Tie wraps, however, are prone to chafing and deterioration and often are not preferred for securing hoses and the like.
One tool used for installing Adel clamps is a pliers-like tool described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,814,860 (“Patent '860”). The tool has a pair of spaced jaws with each jaw attached to a handle. A head of a fastener, such as a bolt, is held in place in a lower jaw with a shaft of the bolt pointing upwardly toward an upper jaw. The lower jaw is thicker than the upper jaw so as to hold the bolt in place. Each jaw is bifurcated so that the shaft of the bolt passes between the furcations of each jaw when the jaws are closed. A locking pawl is incorporated into the lower jaw.
To install an Adel clamp, the shaft of the bolt is inserted through a hole in one ear of the Adel clamp and the jaws of the tool of Patent '860 are closed. With the bottom ear held in place by the bolt, the top ear is squeezed down over an end of the shaft of the bolt, with the shaft protruding through a hole in the top ear. As the jaws are further squeezed together, the top ear is brought down to the locking pawl where it is caught by the locking pawl. The Adel clamp is now secured between the jaws of the tool, with the shaft of the bolt extending through both ears of the Adel clamp.
With the tool of Patent '860, the locking pawl holds the ears of the Adel clamp at a predetermined distance from each other. This results in a bolt with a shorter shaft not extending through both ears of the Adel clamp, or not extending far enough through both ears of the Adel clamp, to allow the bolt to be fastened to the Adel clamp. In such an instance, the handles of the tool can be used to compress the jaws further together. Since this will cause the locking pawl to disengage, however, the handles must continue to be held with one hand while the bolt is fastened to the clamp using the other hand.
What is needed, then, is an apparatus, system, and method for installing clamps, like Adel clamps, that comprises a tool capable of holding in place bolts having both longer and shorter shafts so that an installer can use both hands to fasten a bolt, or other similar fastener, to an Adel clamp. The tool should also allow the shaft of the bolt to be inserted first through either ear of the Adel clamp, regardless of which jaw of the tool is holding that ear. The tool should also be capable of adjusting the distance at which the ears of the Adel clamp are held apart and be able to secure the ears in that position for easier installation. The tool should also have narrow upper and lower jaws both so that the tool can be used in either direction without the thickness of the jaw being a factor. The tool should also be capable of securing together more than three clamps using only one bolt.